This is another entry in Canopy’s March series on strong women who support refugee resettlement and live out holistic, inclusive values.
By Lauren Husband, Blog Coordinator
Do women bring unique perspectives and skills to refugee advocacy?
The two inspirational women we will be celebrating today say yes, definitely!
Today we want to highlight two of the strong #WomenForRefugees who will be joining us in Washington D.C. later this week to meet with Arkansas legislators about refugee resettlement in NWA. This group of passionate #ArkansansForRefugees will be in D.C. for two days to let our elected officials know that NWA residents are enthusiastically supportive of refugee resettlement, even in the midst of the most drastic reduction of U.S. refugee admittances since the 1980s.
In fact, it is especially important that the interests of refugees are protected during the current admittance recession. According to UNHCR, an unprecedented 70.8 million people globally have been forced from home due to persecution and conflict. Among them are nearly 25.9 million refugees, over half of whom are under the age of 18. Less than 1% of those refugees are ever resettled!
We asked Canopy volunteers Ashton Yust and Kesa Mitchell to share why they think it’s important to advocate on behalf of refugees, as well as how their unique experiences as women can be an asset in refugee advocacy.
Ashton, 27, moved to NWA in 2017 for graduate school at the University of Arkansas. It was during her time in graduate school that she learned about Canopy from a peer. Originally from Joplin, a smaller Missouri town, Ashton decided to start volunteering with Canopy to try something new and meet like minded people in her new home. Ashton now works for Unilever in Bentonville and has been committed to continue volunteering with Canopy in her free time for several years.
Ashton will be bringing the unique skill of knowing how to navigate male-dominated spaces to D.C.. Working in the corporate world, it is not uncommon for her to be the only woman in a conversation. She believes she has specific skills that she attributes to being a woman that make her effective in these spaces– she’s a great communicator and relationship builder, and she has strong empathy, which makes connecting with others and conveying ideas a natural skill for her, both in corporate and political spaces.
“Being a young woman in the corporate world, I’ve been really noticing sexism for the first time. Seeing current events unfold, especially regarding women’s rights, it’s so important right now for me to stand up and speak for the things I believe in and encourage other women to, also. Nothing is going to change unless you stand up and know you can make a difference.”
Kesa, 20, is a junior at the University of Arkansas majoring in international studies from Spokane, Washington. Along with school, she also works part-time as the Program Director at KXUA and hosts a radio show called “On the Meter with Skeeter.” Kesa’s relationship with refugee advocacy began when she applied to intern with Canopy in Fall 2019 at the recommendation of one of her professors.
For Kesa, the trip to D.C. is about gaining a better understanding of how the political process works. She wants to know how policies are made and if her perceptions of the political process from the media are the same as in reality. When she considers how her experience as a woman can play a part in that political process, she also believes that women possess a special capacity for empathy.
“For me, I have a little bit more empathy toward people in bad situations. The people we work with [at Canopy] didn’t choose to be born in their situations. Women can read a room better because we have more empathy.”
So, how do Kesa and Ashton find time in their busy schedules to advocate for refugees?
Ashton doesn’t look at volunteering as an obligation. It’s something she enjoys and uses to maintain balance and find purpose in her life.
“I believe that there’s a cause that every person is passionate about, and if you’re really passionate about it, you’ll make time for it. Everybody has a specific strength that can be utilized.”
In the chaos of Kesa’s packed school-study-work-life schedule, it’s her willpower that helps her find the time to serve the causes she cares about. She finds the most success in eliminating distractions.
“I’m stupidly disciplined. I leave my phone in my dorm when I go to class. I want to spend my time serving the community, so I organize my life around that.”
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